Streets Critical Perspectives on Public Space

“Streets: Critical Perspectives on Public Space” by Zeynep Çelik, published by University of California Press in 1994, is a first edition that spans 294 pages. This collection features twenty-one essays contributed by colleagues and former students of architectural historian Spiro Kostof, exploring various urban streets across different historical contexts. The essays present case studies that reflect Kostof’s model of urban forms and fabrics, offering insights into the street as a fundamental element of city structure and civilization.

Readers will find a diverse range of topics within this volume, including examinations of pre-Columbian Inca settlements, fourteenth-century Cairo, nineteenth-century New Orleans, and twentieth-century Tokyo. Each essay delves into the unique historical conditions of individual streets, addressing anthropological, political, and technical aspects of street making. This critical discourse on urban space serves as a tribute to Spiro Kostof, appealing to both scholars and general readers interested in architecture, urban planning, and social science.